Western Digital Corp., a global data infrastructure leader, is accelerating the NVMe transition of value-PC storage by adding an NVMe model to its award-winning WD Blue solid state drive (SSD) portfolio, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD. The new SSD delivers three times the performance of its SATA counterpart1 while maintaining the reliability the WD Blue product line is known for. For content creators and PC enthusiasts, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD is optimized for multitasking and resource-heavy applications, providing near-instant access to files and programs.

Leveraging the scalable in-house SSD architecture of the highly acclaimed WD Black SN750 NVMe SSD, the new WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD is also built on Western Digital’s own 3D NAND technology, firmware and controller, and delivers sequential read and write speeds up to 1,700MB/s and 1,450MB/s respectively (for 500GB model) with efficient power consumption as low as 2.7W. Demands on storage are continuing to grow and client workloads are evolving, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD features high sustained write performance over SATA as well as other emerging technologies on the market today to give that performance edge.

Toshiba Memory America, Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of Toshiba Memory Corporation, announced availability of its XD5 Series NVMe SSD platform in a 2.5-inch, 7mm low-profile form factor that is optimized for low-latency and performance consistency in read-intensive workloads. Developed for both data center and cloud environments, the new 2.5-inch form factor XD5 Series is ideal for NoSQL databases, large-scale-out data mining and analysis, and streaming applications. The XD5 Series is also well-suited for Open Compute Project (OCP) applications and systems.

Built on 64-layer BiCS FLASH™ TLC (3-bit-per-cell) 3D flash memory, and featuring a PCIe® Gen3x4 interface, the new XD5 SSD 2.5-inch option delivers sequential read performance up to 2,700 megabytes per second (MB/s) and sequential write performance up to 895MB/s with low active power consumption of 7 watts. At one drive write per day4 (DWPD), the XD5 Series can write nearly 4 terabytes (TB) of random data daily for five years at a consistent performance rate. Random read/write performance is specified at 250,000/21,000 Input/Output Operations per Second (IOPS) respectively, making the XD5 Series a predictable and reliable solution for read-intensive or heavy transactional workloads.

The XD5 2.5-inch Series expands Toshiba Memory’s broad data center SSD portfolio and complements the previously released M.2 22100 form factor which supports 1,920 gigabyte (GB) and 3,840GB capacities. The flash memory and controllers leveraged within the XD5 Series offer high reliability, data protection, end-to-end error detection and power-loss protection, and the product is backed by a five-year limited warranty.

CDRLabs has taken an in depth look at Western Digital's latest NVMe SSD, the WD Black SN750. Designed to give hardcore gamers the competitive edge they desire, this single-sided M.2 form factor drive is powered by Western Digital's own Spectrum controller and is available with up to 2TB of the company's 64-layer BiCS 3D TLC NAND flash. The WD Black SN750 is also available with or without an EKWB-designed heatsink and is equipped with an ultra-fast PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 interface to deliver speeds that are more than six times faster than your average SATA 6Gb/s SSD.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today officially launched the TS-2888X, an AI-Ready NAS specifically optimized for AI model training. Built using powerful Intel Xeon W processors with up to 18 cores and employing a flash-optimized hybrid storage architecture for IOPS-intensive workloads, the TS-2888X also supports installing up to 4 high-end graphics cards and runs QNAP’s AI developer package “QuAI”. The TS-2888X packs everything required for machine learning AI, greatly reducing latency, accelerating data transfer, and eliminating performance bottlenecks caused by network connectivity to expedite AI implementation.

Conventional AI workstations usually have massive price tags, and the complexity of configuring hardware and software is an obstacle for most data scientists and developers. The use of public clouds for storage and training may also raise concerns when using sensitive data. QNAP’s TS-2888X introduces an all-in-one AI solution that integrates huge storage potential, powerful computing, a ready-to-use AI environment, and comprehensive data protection to supplement AI workflows. It not only serves as a Training Server for AI models, but can also serve as an Inference Server, thereby further lowering the R&D entry barrier, making AI development more feasible and easily accessible.

Micron Technology, Inc. today added a new cost-efficient solid-state drive (SSD) to its client computing portfolio. The Micron 1300 SSD makes flash storage accessible to more users, enabling its adoption in a broader set of personal computing devices for a better mobile computing experience. Consumers who are eager to move from rotating media to solid state drives value fast performance, quick startup, and reliability -- whether for desktop, mobile or workstation PCs. SSDs address these needs better than power-hungry hard disk drives (HDDs), yet their higher prices have kept users from shifting to SSDs. Micron redesigned the 1300 SSD series to close the price gap.

"The deployment of advanced 3D NAND technologies has led the client SSD market to branch into value and higher-performance storage segments," said Gregory Wong, president of Forward Insights. "Micron's latest client SSD solutions provide a coherent migration path from HDD to value-oriented SSDs."

Western Digital Corp. today announced two new additions to its broad portfolio of NVMe-based systems, platforms, SSDs, and memory drives for data center and cloud customers. With a full portfolio covering applications from edge-to-core, these additions are the Western Digital Ultrastar DC SN630 NVMe SSD and the Western Digital CL SN720 NVMe SSD. Each leverages the power of Western Digital’s vertical integration capabilities, including internally developed controller and firmware architectures, and 64-layer 3D NAND technology. As a replacement for lower-performing SATA SSDs, these new NVMe drives meet the insatiable need for performance, scalability, endurance and low total cost of ownership (TCO) for public and private cloud deployments, hyperscale cloud environments, and next-generation workloads at the edge.

IT managers face challenges such as managing multiple workload types, scaling at optimal TCO, and controlling server sprawl. Due to its inherent scalability and performance benefits, NVMe is quickly becoming the de facto standard for everything from traditional scale-up database applications to emerging edge computing architectures.

As consumer demand for high-quality content continues to rise, Western Digital Corp. is enabling a bigger, faster experience with new industry-leading solutions that give consumers the best combination of performance and capacity so they can do more with the rich content they capture. At Mobile World Congress, the company is showcasing the world’s fastest 1TB UHS-I microSD flash memory card, the 1TB SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSDXC card. The new card features higher speed and capacity for capturing and moving massive amounts of high-quality photos and videos on smartphones, drones and action cameras. These impressive levels of capacity and speed give consumers the ability to create all the content they want without worrying about space limitations or long transfer times.

Today’s smartphones and cameras allow consumers to create high-quality content in the palm of their hands, thanks to features like multi-lenses, burst mode capabilities and the 4K resolution. Western Digital continues to deliver the most advanced solutions to ensure consumers can reliably capture and share a special moment or create video content for personal or professional use.